


22) The Buxom and Adventurous Sword Swinger

by Iarollane



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:06:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23951281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iarollane/pseuds/Iarollane
Summary: After dealing with Bianca (and all the emotional baggage involved in that) Varric realizes that perhaps he might be more interested than he thought in exploring other options.
Relationships: Cassandra Pentaghast/Varric Tethras
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38
Collections: Fulfilled prompts from various people





	22) The Buxom and Adventurous Sword Swinger

Varric frowned down at the blank paper in front of him, wondering when he had become so involved. This wasn't like him. Most people, he could take them or leave them. They were either important enough to him that their opinion mattered, or they weren't. Most notable in the former category were the Hawke siblings, but it had taken years for Mariah to get to that point, and even longer for Garren.

They mattered, because they were family.  
They were family because they mattered.

So when had the Seeker managed to weasel her way on to his list of Important People?

He shook himself with an internal sigh, and started to write.

_**In the Thrall of the Mountain King** _

He was particularly proud of that title. It had a nice ring to it. It wasn't about any King of Orzammar, but he hoped he could convince his publisher to let that slide. It was going to be a sequel to _Swords and Shields_ , starring the adventurous sister of the Knight Captain falling in love with her roguish dwarven ally, who was secretly a king in disguise.

His fingers stilled, only a few pages filled, his mind in sudden turmoil. He was doing this because... because why, again? Because Cassandra loved trashy romance novels, yes, but no one had asked him to write this one, and Maker knew that romance wasn't his strongest writing style.

Varric rubbed his face, groaning.

"Having trouble with a sticky plot point?" a low voice asked from behind him. He turned in his seat, and looked up into mischievous purple eyes. Oh good. _The Inquisitor usually has a good handle on people,_ he thought. _If I can't talk to Mariah, then Sunshine is a decent stand-in._

"Does it count if the whole plot is sticky?" he asked back, gesturing to the seat across the table from him.

"Isn't that the point of stories? They get sticky so that they can have resolution."

"True," he admitted, "but this one is... a little more personal than I'd thought at first."

Lashanna raised an eyebrow in askance. He pushed the pages he had written so far towards her, including his outline of how he wanted it all to go. He didn't usually like anyone reading his stories until he was done at least a first edit, but this wasn't going to be a usual story.

He watched the others in the dining hall while she read, making up mini stories for the people he didn't know. _That diplomat might be an assassin,_ he thought, _And that servant is the target- because she isn't a servant, she's a member of a secret spy organization._

"Varric." Lashanna's voice drew him back, away from his musings. "These characters... are they based on who I think they are?"

"Maybe?" he quipped, keeping it light. "Who do you think?"

She gave him a wry smile that quickly went back to concern. "Are you sure you want to write about this?" Her voice was quiet, not a whisper but meant for his ears only. "After everything that happened with Bianca... I didn't think you'd want any entanglements."

He swallowed hard. "Who said anything about entanglements?" He glanced at the pages. "It's a stupid idea. I'll just get rid of that..." he stood and reached for them, intending to throw them into the fire.

Lashanna quickly raised them out of his reach, holding up a hand to stall him. "Hold on a second! I didn't say it was stupid, just that I was surprised." When he slowly sat back down, she laid the pages gently on the table. After a moment, she said, "Is it an idle fancy, something for a story? Or is this something you'd want?"

"I don't know," he replied impatiently, crossing his arms. Softer, he continued, "I loved Bianca. But she got married. I learned a long time ago to accept that. Hell, even before that, I knew that Bianca was more than a little selfish. It's why she held on to me as long as she did."

He stood, and paced in front of the table. "But Cassandra, she tries with every fiber to be the kind of person she looks up to. She doesn't expect anyone _else_ to be, she's pragmatic like that. She just accepts that people _could_ be good, and wants people to want to be. Do you know how rare that is?" He stared into the fire. "And on top of that, she pretends to be this cold, stone-hearted warrior, but inside she's just as frilly as Ruffles."

He sighed, frustrated, and plopped back into his chair. "Maybe... maybe I just wanted to see. What if we could have that chance? Even if it's just in a story." He shrugged. "Even if it never goes beyond a story," he added quietly.

Sympathy crossed Lashanna's face, but she quickly banished it. "Listen. You'll never know unless you try, right? Write it out, every sordid detail. But," she held up a finger, "I would approach the, ah, 'buxom and adventurous sword swinger' herself before giving her, or anyone else, a copy." She gave him a smile. "What's the worst that could happen? She gives you that disgusted noise she likes so much?"

Varric grunted at that. "Alright. We'll see where this goes," he said with a sigh.

Lashanna gave him a bright smile, standing and handing him the pages. As he took them, she leaned over and whispered, "Go get'er, tiger." Before he could react, she planted a kiss on his cheek, then all but skipped away, laughing.

Rubbing his cheek and grumbling with a smile, Varric thought that maybe he'd accidentally added to his family.


End file.
